Robust operation of switching regulators includes both positive current operation i.e. the power stage of the regulator sources (positive) current to the load and negative current operation i.e. the power stage of the regulator sinks (negative) current from the load. Most conventional switching regulators do not offer negative current operation and instead attempt to avoid negative current operation altogether. For example, operation in DCM (discontinuous conduction mode) can prevent negative current conduction. The low-side transistor of the regulator power stage typically has a negative dl/dt conduction response, meaning that current decreases while the low-side transistor is switched on. In DCM, the low-side transistor is switched off once the current reaches zero. Doing so prevents the current from becoming negative, which is undesirable for many applications due to the loss in efficiency from conduction losses incurred during negative current conduction. However, certain regulators must rely on negative current in order to improve the performance during dynamic operations such as load release (i.e. load current changing from a high value to a value near zero) or negative voltage transitions (i.e. voltage changing from a high value to a lower value requiring the regulator to discharge the output capacitor). This is particularly true of multiphase converters, where the current handling capability of each individual phase is only a fraction of the total current handling capability of the converter. Catastrophic failure of the power stage can occur when negative current exceeds the negative current handling capability of the power stage transistors.